Survey data gathered from 471 professionals and managers in 62 companies in North America were used to test a motivational model of microcomputer usage. The model synthesized prior research findings and proposed that perceived usefulness, perceived fun/enjoyment, and social pressure would motivate increased use of microcomputers by professionals and managers. Results provided substantial support for the proposition that perceived usefulness (rather than perceived fun or social pressure) is the principal motivator. The findings also demonstrated that perceived complexity is a key intervening variable linking the antecedent variables (skills, organizational support, and organizational usage) with the three motivational variables. The results also suggested that skills play a critical role in affecting microcomputer usage. Skills directly promote microcomputer usage and influence usage through their effects on perceived usefulness, perceived enjoyment, and social pressure. The findings of the study contribute to an expanded understanding of the factors that promote microcomputer usage and also have important implications for the management of information systems.
This study assesses the job involvement of 464 professionals and managers in the information systems (IS) field and investigates the role of involvement in influencing the quality of work life. Results show significant variation in the level of job involvement displayed by IS employees and differential patterns of relationships among the study variables for IS personnel with low, moderate, and high levels of job involvement. The findings indicate that involvement serves as a complex moderator role in the pattern of relationships of work experiences, and of job characteristics with career expectations and career outcomes. It has both linear and non-linear relationships with several of the study variables. While in some cases, high levels of job involvement tend to enhance the beneficial effects of work experiences on the quality of work life, in others such involvement tends to heighten the negative effects of role stressors. Implications of the findings and directions for future research are discussed.
The career orientations of employees can have important implications for their job satisfaction, commitment, and retention within organizations. However, there is little empirical research on the correlates of career orientations held by managers and professionals in the MIS field. This study sought to address this gap in the literature and assessed the career orientations of 464 MIS employees, as well as their relationship with selected demographic characteristics, job type, and career outcomes. The most prevalent career orientations of MIS employees were found to be technical and managerial. Autonomy and lifestyle orientations were also found to be moderately represented in the sample. Women were more lifestyle oriented and less technically oriented than men. In addition, systems programmers, applications programmers, and software engineers tended to be technically oriented, whereas systems analysts, project leaders, and computer managers tended to be managerially oriented. The most significant finding was that employees whose career orientations were compatible with their job setting reported high job satisfaction, high career satisfaction, strong commitment to their organization, and low intentions to leave their organization. Firms need to recognize the diversity of career orientations so that appropriate reward systems and career paths can be developed. Research on this topic should continue to examine characteristics unique to MIS employees, as well as how these interrelationships change over time at different career stages.